Of Fire and Ice
by Pickle Princess
Summary: Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy live in seperate worlds, divided by their absolute difference in beliefs and ideas. This all changes when Ginny and Draco are assigned dentention together one fated day. Rating changed to R
1. The Beginning

Of Fire and Ice

------------------

Yes, I'm back. :) After taking an EXTREMELY LONG vacation from this story, I have returned per request of Karen (ff.net user name is Pookabunny, go glomp her for me), whom I love dearly. If she hadn't told me she loved this story, I wouldn't have reposted it, and I wouldn't have remembered why exactly I love D/G so freaking much. ::slaps for Slappy:: you rock! Anyway, I have started another story for it, because I am changing it quite a bit. There is no real way to make it fit totally with canon, but I want to get it as close as possible. For first time readers, here's the scoop on da story: I started this fic around fall of 2002, which is scary for me to even think about. I had updated about 4 chapters of it, and gotten 67 reviews for it, when I just basically quit writing it. This happened in like, February. Anyway, Just three or four days ago I got up off my ass (ok, technically I didn't, I actually sat down on my ass, but you know what I mean) and reworked the entire first four chapters. And then I did the dreaded deed: I deleted the old story. Jeez, I hate myself for it still, but I'll get over it. Anyway, here you have it the new, improved, Of Fire and Ice. Enjoy. __

A/N- This is in Ginny's POV, but that should be obvious. Draco/Ginny is not really my pairing, but I wrote a bit anyway and I like it. This is going to have to be AU fifth book, because quite frankly I wrote this before it came out and I don't want to take Fred and George out. Nothing drastically wrong with the story mind you, so just give yourself a wee break and pretend you haven't read OOtP yet, savvy? 

D/C- This stands for every chapter I will write in this, I'm not really sure how many I'm gonna write. I do not own Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, or any other character created by J.K. Rowling. Duh. 

Chapter 1.

The Beginning 

_I was the flame in his darkness, _

_I suppose you could say. _

_People likened us to fire and ice. _

_I was his fire, _

_He was my ice._

_Together we would form a barrier so formidable,_

_Even the darkest wizard would shy from it. _

_But we had no idea._

_Day after day we lived at Hogwarts,_

_Each ignoring the other,_

_Both of us blissfully oblivious to the tidal wave of occurrences_

_That were swirling around us to fit into a living puzzle._

_A puzzle that, _

_In the end,_

_Would be missing just one piece_

_That piece was us._

_Little did we know how far some were willing to go,_

_Just to fill in that empty space._

_This is the story of how the place was filled,_

_Or wasn't._

_This is the story of how we found where we fit into the world,_

_As well as each other's hearts._

_This is the story, _

_Of Fire and Ice._

(~*~) (~*~) (~*~)

I twisted a piece of long red hair around my finger and stared intently down at the ground, tracing an invisible pattern in the hard wood floor with my foot. On either side of me stood Fred and George. Both looked rather guilty. I suppose I did too. 

It wasn't like we MEANT to give Snape purple warts that evidently felt like staying until kingdom come. Its not like we MEANT to turn every single robe in his wardrobe pink with daffodils, so that he had to borrow some of Flitwicks, which, needless to say, were not his size. And it wasn't like we MEANT to cover the dungeon walls with lilac scented slime. 

Ok, so maybe we did. But who says he didn't deserve it? He did. But the teachers, with their diuturnal love for rules and the enforcing of rules, held their bias at bay so they could make an appropriate punishment for a long asked for crime without giving in halfway through. The truth is, I think, that Snape has asked for every prank ever played on him, and Dumbledore knows it. But that is not the point. 

Professor Dumbledore swept into the small waiting room of his office. He looked reprovingly at us. 

"Misters and Miss Weasley." He said in his low, rumbling voice. "Could you be so kind as to step into my office? Professor Snape seems not to trust you in his own."

"Can't imagine why." Fred mumbled under his breath, amused greatly with this whole predicament. He's been in worse ones. 

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Mr. Weasley. Now please, step in and have a seat, all of you." The professor opened the door with a flourish and herded us three into his private office, and shut the door. 

We each took a chair and looked around the room. At the same time, our eyes all landed on a figure that, under other conditions, would have had us rolling on the ground in bursts of crazy laughter. It was, of course, Snape. But he looked slightly changed from a couple days ago. His long greasy hair was covering his face, obviously attempting to hide the warts, which were turning a cheery shade of lavender. He was scrunched down in his chair, trying to make the tiny robes cover as much of his body as was possible. There wasn't much covered in the end. And he smelled faintly of lilac. I assure you this was an improvement to his original smell. 

We all looked down in our laps, stifling our laughter in spasms of loud coughing. Dumbledore looked upon us in slight amusement. 

"Horrible colds you have there. Would you like a drink of water?" he asked us, unable to hide the sparkle in his eyes. 

Finally, regaining some self-control, I answered. "No sir, we're fine, thank you." 

"Well we can turn to the subject at hand, then. It seems that Professor Snape has a complaint of you. Would you like to take over from here, Severus, or shall I continue?"

Snape mumbled a small "No sir, you may keep going" which caused us more spasms of coughing.

Dumbledore continued. "It seems that someone has given our professor a rather large case of cursed warts, along with a slightly too tight wardrobe, and the strange gift he has to fill any room he enters with a very distinct and lasting aroma." Dumbledore surveyed us over his moon shaped spectacles. "You three have been accused of this crime. Would you like to defend yourselves, or just take the punishment for cursing a staff member?"

"Well, you see sir," Fred began. "It-…" 

I interrupted him. "It was all in good humor, but I guess we went a little far, and we're willing to take the punishment." Fred looked at me flabbergasted, and George looked quite the same way. I silenced them with one of my glares. 

Dumbledore smiled down at this little scene. "Very well, since you admitted to the crime, I will only give you three detentions a piece, and 50 points from Gryffindor."

Fred turned his flabbergasted look from me to Dumbledore. "W-w-hat?" George joined in. "It was just a little joke!"

Suddenly, Snape broke in. "Joke my -" he broke off and looked apologetically at Dumbledore. "F-foot." He regained his composure and continued. "You three have asking for trouble for years! Always playing pranks in my class, pulling jokes in the halls. Well I tell you I've had it! I will not see any more of this behavior. If I were the headmaster, you would all be EXPELLED!" he ended his outburst in a shout, and we all cowered in our chairs at the very angry Snape. With or without the purple warts, he made the most imposing figure I had ever seen. "Now." He added, slightly calmer, although a vein in his forehead still throbbed dangerously. "If you would continue, Professor."

Dumbledore, having regained his speech after the very strange outburst from the professor, turned to us three. "And now, will give you your detentions." Fred groaned loudly, not even attempting to hide it. Dumbledore ignored him and went on. "Fred, you will be having detention in the greenhouses." He groaned again. "George, you will be in the trophy room, with Mister Filch. And Miss Weasley, I believe you have been assigned to Professor McGonagall. She will tell you what to do when you report to her classroom in after you leave here. Your detentions will begin today and continue until Wednesday. And fifty points have been taken from Gryffindor. I hope to never see such behavior from my students again. You are all dismissed."

Slowly, we all got up and pushed our chairs back. Nodding to the Headmaster and Professor, we left the room as fast as we could. I, being the good student that I was, was in shock. "THREE DETENTIONS!" I shouted at the twins, who were also looking rather shocked. "AND 50 HOUSE POINTS?? DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT WILL LOOK ON MY RECORDS?" 

"Whoa, chill Gin, people are looking at you. Plus you have a perfect record as it is, and this wasn't **that** bad of a prank… just a couple purple warts…"

I rolled my eyes. They wouldn't understand, many people believe they came out of the womb with a bad record. I sighed. "Well, I'll be heading to [i]**detention[/i]** now…" I turned the corner and began down the long hallway toward the Transfigurations classroom. "Don't get in more trouble or I'll owl mom!" I hollered to Fred and George right before they were out of sight. I could almost see George roll his eyes. 

Sighing, I walked into the classroom. "Professor McGonagall!" I said as I entered the class. "I'm here for-" I broke off as I saw a flash of platinum blond out of the corner of my eye. I turned and came face to face with Draco Malfoy. 

"Um." I said, for lack of anything better. I really didn't know Malfoy that well, but for all Ron ranted about him, I knew I should stay as far away from him as possible. "You're... here for detention also?" 

He put on his trademark smirk. "Yeah, I am. I'm surprised you are though, Weasel. I thought you were the perfect one."

I glowered at this comment. I hated being perfect, and always thought of that way. And here was some 5th year, who didn't even **know** me, making fun of it. 

"I see I've hit a nerve, Weasel." He smirked again. This smirk of his was getting annoying. 

I chose to say nothing. If I ignored him, he'd stop. At least, most people would. But I didn't know Malfoy.

"I see your Dad bought you a new robe." He commented, looking down at my old tattered robe. "Did he finally win the lottery? Of course, I'm surprised he had enough money to even buy a ticket in the first place."

My glower deepened into a venomous look of hatred. Saying the first thing that came to my mind, I spat out "At least my dad loves me!" thinking of the evil elder Malfoy. How could that man love anyone? 

This time I saw a flicker in his eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about, Muggle Lover." 

And I swear I would have punched his face out if McGonagall hadn't walked in at that exact second. Seeing the looked of disgust that both Malfoy and I had on our faces, she sighed and muttered to herself, "and what do you think you've gotten yourself into now, Minerva?" 

She sighed again, set down her books, and walked over to us. "Miss. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy, I have both of you for three days, and". That's all I heard, because at that moment the only thing I could think was "I have to spend three days of detention with **that**?" I image he was thinking something quite along the same lines. 

She continued. "…Over this period, you will be cleaning two of the classrooms in this wing, and because of Miss Weasley, you will also be cleaning the potions dungeon. There are supplies in this closet," she opened up a closet to her left, "And you will be cleaning one room a night. I will be back in three hours, and I want to see this room spotless. Any fighting, and you two will be sentenced to 4 more days of detention together. Is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." We both mumbled.

"Good. I will be leaving now." With that, she picked up her books and swept out of the classroom. 

For a few minutes, all we did was look at the cleaning supplies, and then disdainfully at each other. Finally, I walked over to the closet and grabbed a mop. "We might as well get started." I said.

Draco didn't respond. He tentatively leaned over and picked up a broom. I began to work, conjuring a bucket of water and beginning to scrub a corner of the room. But Draco just stood where he was, looking with skepticism at the broom. After awhile, I stopped and leaned on my mop. It was my turn to smirk now. 

"You've never cleaned before, have you?" I asked, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. 

"Well, no! It's a job for houselves! Not **people**!" 

I chuckled. "Welcome to the real world, Draco." I paused and then asked, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, are you gonna start, or am I gonna do the work by myself? Or," I asked, letting the grin take over my face, "Or am I gonna have to teach you how to use a broom?" 

Draco flushed red, with anger or embarrassment I wasn't sure. "Like I need you to tell ME what to do, Weasel." he spat. 

I rolled my eyes. "Suit yourself, but I'll be sure to inform McGonagall exactly HOW much you accomplished tonight." 

Without saying a word, but with a very dirty look, he handed me the broom. "First thing, you hold the broom bristles **down**." I pointed out, trying hard not to laugh. I handed the broom to him, and he held it awkwardly. I figured I was getting somewhere, because it **was** bristles down now. "Now," I said, "Go to the other side of the room, and start sweeping the dirt into little piles." 

I couldn't help but laugh at the face he had on. "What?" I asked. "Have I grown two heads? Or is this work really too hard for the ickle Malfoy?"

He glared at me and went to the other side of the room, sweeping the dirt into piles. I continued scrubbing, and then moved on to removing burn spots from the desks. I looked up at Malfoy once in awhile, and he was actually doing it right. Once he finished putting the dirt in piles, he wordlessly went to the closet and pulled out a duster and began to clean up the piles. 

Together, we tackled the desks and the chairs, but all without saying a word to each other. We finally finished everything five minutes before McGonagall got back. As we put away the cleaning things, I looked closely at Draco's face. He had piercing blue eyes, and relatively high cheekbones. His lips weren't smiling, but they weren't smirking either. As I looked at him from up close, I got the impression of a serpent, especially with his long skinny face. Every time I looked at him though, my eyes were drawn again and again to his own. 

They were cold, emotionless, and unforgiving. Like ice. 

Malfoy's voice broke into my thoughts. "So what did you do, Miss. Perfect?", he asked, sneering.  

I glared at him. "What are you talking about?" I asked, keeping my voice level. 

He rolled his eyes. "To get detention, idiot. God, you're about as smart as your brother."

I glowered at him and didn't answer. 

"Answer me." He said quietly. I got the distinct feeling he was not used to being defied. 

"Like I want to talk to you ferret boy." I replied, turning away from him and facing the other direction. 

I heard a low growl and a hand roughly grabbed the neck of my robes. Forcing me back around, Malfoy looked straight into my eyes, his own little slits on his face as he contained his anger. He reached up his other hand, and for one heart stopping second I thought he was going to hit me. But he seemed to change his mind. Instead he let me go and pushed me away. "You're not worth it." I heard him mutter. 

For that I surely would have hit him, if McGonagall hadn't walked to the room that exact second. 

"Saved by the teacher again, Malfoy." I thought to myself. Next time, I promised, he wouldn't be so lucky. 

A/N- ::cough:: Yar, I changed quite a bit... not. Well, I definitely changed Malfoy. This guy is gonna be tough to break, I can tell you all that. 

And for the record, "diuturnal" IS really a word. I mean it. It means lasting for a long duration of time. Therefore when I said the teachers have a diuturnal love of rules, I meant they had a long lasting need to put people in detention. Basically. 

Oh yes, and to anyone who caught the innuendo about the broom ::cough::ALEX::cough:: that wasn't intended, but I'm leaving it there because I find it amusing. Yes, I am perverted. Shut up.  

Also, if anyone caught any UBBC code (ie, [i], [b], whatever) please tell me. I posted this first in the fanfiction boards on , so the codes worked there, but will not here. 

Xoxo, 

Pickle


	2. What to Forget By

Of Fire and Ice

A/N- ::gives everyone who reviewed three chocolate chip cookies:: Ok, I changed this a little more than the last one. The song I used fits über well now, and I am very proud of said fact. And no, this is NOT going to become a song fic. I just add songs, poems, prose and whatnot if it fits. And this fits. Capishe? Now, on with the story. 

Chapter 2. What to Forget By

_"Once upon a year gone by_

_she__ saw herself give in_

_every__ time she closed her eyes_

_she__ saw what could have been_

_well__ nothing hurts and nothing bleeds_

_when__ covers tucked in tight_

_funny__ when the bottom drops_

_how__ she forgets to fight... to fight"_

**D**raco sat down across from his father. The long desk should have made them feel miles apart, but to Draco, it was as if Lucius was breathing down his collar. 

"I'm here, father." said Draco, in a deceptively calm voice. He knew what he had to do. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked the question, though he was ready for its answer. 

"Draco," His father said after a long pause. "You are growing older. No matter how much I wish it, you are not the repulsive youth you used to be. You are a teenager now. Almost an adult." Draco couldn't help but raise and eyebrow at this. His father, acknowledging him as something more than a teething three year old? Lucius looked sharply at him. "You are surprised at my statement. You did not think that you would someday grow up in this household?" Draco raised his eyebrow again. Lucius ignored him and went on. "Like it or not, we must both accept the fact that you are ready. 

Draco sat up straighter. This was it. He was ready. Lucius continued. "Our master is back, son. And he needs helpers. I am asking you right now to join the death eaters." Then Lucius thought back on his statement. "Actually, I don't ask you to join us. First I will ask if you would like to join us." Suddenly his voice went from honey to venom. "And don't even think of lying, bastard. I will know if you do." 

Draco looked his father square in the eye, took a deep breath, and said "Father, I would be honored to join the death eaters. I will uphold my duty with respect, and I will be willing to die for the cause." There, he had said it. 

For a moment, a look of pleasure spread across his father's face. Then, without warning, his face contorted and he sprang up. "YOU LIE!" He roared, his eyes burning with an orange fire, a fire of hate. He pulled out his wand and brandished it in Draco's direction. 

Draco, not knowing what else to do, ducked down on the ground, and tried to get under the table. There was a bang, and the sound of crashing glass. Then, silence. The words cut through the silence like a burning fire, leaving scars hanging in the air. The last thing Draco remembered was the flood of green light, and the look on Lucius Malfoy's face as he killed his only son. 

Draco woke up in a start, cold sweat dripping down his face. Groping for the lamp, he hit his hand and swore softly. Finally, he found the switch and a soft glow filled the room. Crabbe was snoring in the bed next to his, and Goyle was murmuring in to himself in his sleep across the room.

Slowly, Draco turned back over on his side, knowing that his father would come back to haunt him in his dreams; knowing he would not be able to rest peacefully again tonight... maybe not ever. "I don't CARE" he whispered fiercely into his pillow. "I WILL be like father. I WILL become a death eater." With those words, he closed his eyes, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

(~*~)

**I** reported on time for detention once again. Damn my brothers, getting me in trouble like this. How could I stand this for two more days? I stepped into the classroom and saw Malfoy standing in the corner, with a sullen look on his face. He allowed me one evil looking glower before returning his vision to the brick wall beside him. McGonagall rushed into the room two minutes late and sent us straight to work. Malfoy and I didn't talk at all that night, until the very end of detention. 

It happened when I had my back to Malfoy, and was putting the mop away in the broom closet. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck prickled, and a wave of heat seemed to fill the room. I knew immediately that someone was watching me. Not Draco though... Someone else. Someone that I knew. My heart began to pound wildly. I knew this feeling all too well, it haunted me at night. I didn't want to turn, to find his gaze again, but I had to. It was pulling me, drawing me to it. Squeezing my eyes shut and bracing myself for the pain, I spun around to see... Malfoy, starting intently at his left forearm, a look of intensity in his eyes. Relief flooded me... along with the tiniest feeling of regret. I brushed that away, not allowing myself to think about it. Instead, I focused on Malfoy. "What are you doing?" Malfoy hurriedly pulled his sleeve down. 

"I'm waiting for you to finish so we can get the hell out of here." He said nastily. 

I shrugged and primly closed the door. "You may leave now, your highness." I said, my voice thick with sarcasm. Malfoy pushed past me out the doors. As I watched him leave, I knew there was something wrong with him. Something. . . different. . . about him.

Oh, but I didn't know just how different it was. 

(~*~)

_Dear Diary, _

_I cannot sleep tonight. I keep on thinking back to detention. Diary, when I was putting that mop away, I felt the strangest feeling. I felt. . . this sounds idiotic. . . I felt Tom. _

_NO. Not Tom. Voldemort. He is no longer Tom. _

_I am so confused. Why can I not forget him? Why can I not shake the feeling that he's always watching me, and waiting for something? Am I still possessed by him? I can't be. The diary is gone. But then... he still controls my mind. _

_Diary, he WAS there.  In the room with me.] I don't know what this means. I thought he was over in the second year. I thought I wouldn't feel his presence like... like when he possessed me. _

_I don't know how I'm going to face Malfoy tomorrow._

(~*~)

_"once upon a year gone by  
she saw herself give in  
every time she closed her eyes  
she saw what could have been"_

A/N- Ok, I lot of stuff to say, so hear me out. First, for those of you who are not first time readers, and are wigging out right now, the changes will really make sense later. Ok, so maybe I've read too much Gin n' Tonic lately, but I seriously saw a place for some angsty Tom stuff in a later chapter and I just HAD to leave an opening for it. This is not gonna become a Ginny/Tom fic, mind you, so everyone stop freaking. I just think that there is way too much of a bond between Ginny and Tom (romantic or not is for you to decide) that I couldn't just let it go. Plus, adding more about Tom let me fit this nifty little song in (Paradise by Vanessa Carlton, in case you're wondering) so much better than earlier. Now I can definitely see it as reflecting both Draco AND Ginny's situations so much better. 

And just a comment: This is going to have a very deep plot, so if you are reading this for fluff, its not coming soon. When Pickle really gets into violence and torture, those with weak stomachs will not be exactly pleased, if you catch my drift. 

Oh, and for non first time readers, you WILL be getting the iss-kay ack-bay ater-lay, so don't worry about that either.

Thanks again to my awesome reviewers last chapter! Keep 'em comin! 

Pickle


	3. Emotionless

Well, it's been awhile. I feel like I'm talking to an old friend, or something. I've really missed writing this.   
Anyway, I'd just like to add that Ginny is in her 5th year, making this Book 6. Forget that Gred and Forge were ever there because I honestly couldn't be arsed to fix it. From this point on, I'll never mention them actually being in the school. Try to erase all thoughts of them ever being there, ok? Ok. On with the story, since it's taken me so freakin long anyway. ;)  
  


  
Chapter 3. Emotionless

  
  
_It's__ down to this  
I've got to make this life make sense  
Can anyone tell what I've done?  
I miss the life  
I miss the colors of the world  
Can anyone tell where I am?_

  
  
***  
  
I was alone in McGonagall's classroom, washing the board. I wiped it in big, long strokes, my sponge making a soft, swishing sound as it went. Up, down. Up, down. Suddenly, I heard the door open behind me. I spun around to see... Malfoy. But it wasn't really Malfoy. He was different, somehow. He looked sad and vulnerable. He opened his mouth to say something and a snake slithered out, flashing it's fangs and hissing. I jumped back and tried to yell, but I found my mouth was sealed shut. Slowly the snake wound it's way up my legs, staring at me with its blood red eyes. I couldn't move; I was paralyzed with fear. Then, suddenly, the snake stopped. It slithered back down my legs and across the room.   
  
I looked to see who the snake was returning to and my stomach dropped. Malfoy was no longer there. Standing in his place, his eyes filled with a deep, terrifying yet unnamable emotion, was Tom. I dropped my sponge to the floor, and it made a splatting sound. Where it landed, the floor began to melt away. I don't know how I knew this though, because I could not tear my eyes from his gaze. His dark eyes bored holes into mine, and I felt like there was a funnel between us, pouring all of the emotions from my mind to his. I stood where I was while he walked purposefully toward me, then circled me, like a tiger does it's prey. Suddenly, before I knew what was happening, his mouth was pressed against mine. I kissed him back hungrily. His body pushed against mine, sealing the space between us. I let out a low moan, and as I did he rammed me back into the chalkboard. Then, without warning, he pulled himself away from me and started shaking my shoulders. I tried to ask him what he was doing, but I still couldn't talk. He was shaking me, shaking me...   
  
"Ginny!" a familiar voice called. "Ginny! For God's sake I know you can hear me! Get UP!"   
  
I opened my eyes and my vision tilted, dizzily. "That's it, I'm calling Harry." the voice said, exasperated. It seemed to belong to a blob with messy red hair... I rubbed my eyes and the world righted. There was Ron, tresses awry, shaking my shoulders like his life depended on it.   
  
"Ron, what the hell are you doing here?" I mumbled, sitting up awkwardly.  
  
He heaved a sigh. "Thank **God**. For awhile there, I thought you might never wake up." She grabbed a robe from my dresser and tossed it on the bed. "Get dressed. Dumbledore needs to see us."   
  
"For Pete's sake, couldn't he wait til a decent hour? And "us" meaning who, exactly?" I asked, grumbling, as I pulled my robe over my head.  
  
"Me. You." Ron seemed to think that was the only explanation needed, for he fell silent and began looking around the room with minor interest.   
  
"Alright, I'm coming." I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and grabbed my wand from the bedside table. The luminous alarm clock leered at me. 3:30 am. Suddenly I started to feel nervous. Why **couldn't** he have waited until a more decent hour? The last time Dumbledore called for us at a time like this, my father had been attacked by a snake. Meeting Professor McGonagall in the common room (now why hadn't **she** woken me up? I thought in bewilderment.) Ron and I followed her to Dumbledore's office, my stomach growing tighter with each step.   
  


  
_Cause now again I've found myself  
So far down  
Away from the sun   
That shines into the darkest place  
I'm so far down  
Away from the sun  
Again_

  
  
A/N-Ok, I can make this work. Sorry this was so short, I'll try to make the next chapter longer. This was just the perfect place to end it, you know?

Song for this chapter is "Away From the Sun" by 3 Doors Down. Buy this CD.  
::hugs everyone:: I'm glad to be back. :)


	4. A Thousand Ways to Fall

A/N - Happy Easter everyone! I hope the Easter Bunny left y'all some good stuff. ;) Anyway, this is a pretty fast update, for me, but it's also rather short. I'm currently in the middle of writing chapter 5, and it's hopefully going to be a pretty long one. I say hopefully because honestly, this story writes itself. ;) Oh yeah, and a warning to those of you who need it, this chapter includes an example of language that could possibly be rated R, depending on what country you live in. Cussing!Ron is at it again, it seems. ::eyeroll::

Chapter 4.  A Thousand Ways to Fall

_I'm__ walking a wire _

_feels like a thousand ways I could fall_

_To want is to buy but to live is to die and you can't take it all_

_When everything is said and done I won't have one thing left_

_What happened to everything I've ever known?_   
  
__

***

I knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office, my hand shaking as I did. A moment later I heard the sound of a chair against hard wood floor, and slow footsteps came toward me. He opened the door to usher us in, and from the sight in front of me I knew that my fears had been confirmed. There sat Charlie and Bill, in the comfy plush armchairs, their faces worn and drawn. They would only come if- immediately I pushed that thought out of my head. There was no use making up worse case scenarios, I thought. Charlie flashed me a familiar, if strained, trademark Weasley grin, and Bill stood and opened his arms to hug me. I ran to him childishly and threw my arms around his body. For all my fifteen years, Bill treated me like I was still three and teething. Usually this annoyed me, but for some reason, in this odd stream of events, it was comforting. I sat down in a red arm chair opposite Charlie, and Ron sat down beside me. I looked at his face and knew that he was having the same thoughts as I was. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the worst. 

Dumbledore looked at the four of us and, seemingly convinced that we were all settled, said to Bill and Charlie "I think I will leave the four of you to talk now. I will be in my bedchambers, if you need me." Then he walked out of the office through an oak door behind his desk. This was when I realized that McGonagall must have left as well, unless she was hiding under a desk, which I found highly unlikely. I thought I might throw up. 

Charlie and Bill sat back in their chairs, looking as if they were trying to find the words to say what they needed to tell us. Finally, Ron broke the unbearable silence in his usually obnoxious fashion. 

"Well? I didn't get out of bed at three in the fucking morning to sit here and _look_ at you!" If there was anything to be said about Ron at this particular point in time, it's that when he's worried, he gets pissed. 

Bill looked as if he were about to admonish Ron for his choice of words, but then he seemed to reconsider, because he closed his mouth. Finally, Charlie started to talk. 

"Ron. Ginny. I don't know how to say this, and I hate being the one who has to tell you." He faltered, and Bill picked up. 

"Dad's been arrested." That seemed to be about all he could say, because he quickly shut his mouth and started staring intently at his shoes. 

I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Ron, who had been ready with a scathing remark in case the news wasn't grave enough, was gaping, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "W-what?" He finally sputtered, looking from Charlie to Bill and to Charlie again. "But... How? Why?" 

Charlie looked old. "The house was raided last night." He ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "Apparently there was a ton of dark arts stuff under the living room floorboards. They carted Dad off to Azkaban. Filthy traitors won't even give him a trial."

"This cannot be happening." Ron moaned. I felt incapable of speech. 

"That's not the worst of it", Charlie continued.  "Last night, before the raid, Cornelius Fudge called the house. Said he couldn't find Percy anywhere, and he wondered if he'd gone to the burrow. Funny thing about it, he didn't say a thing about the raid. It was like he didn't know it was happening." 

Somehow, I mustered up the will to speak. "What are we going to do?" I asked, feeling stupid as soon as I said it. Of course we couldn't _do_ anything.

"Well, obviously we can't do a lot." Charlie said, matter of factly. "We're going to try to figure out who framed Dad, I guess, but it won't be easy. From the looks of things, that stuff had been down there for years."

"How's mum?" Ron asked suddenly.  "Is she ok?" 

"Well, she's a wreck, of course. He husband was just taken to Azkaban and her third son's been reported missing. We're going to stay at the house with her for awhile."

My voice felt small in my mouth. "What about Percy, though? Do they know... anything?" 

Bill sighed. "Nope, nothing. He's not at his apartment or the burrow, and he didn't report for a ministry dinner last night. Very unlike him."

A bitter look crossed Ron's face. "Yeah, and he hasn't been returning Mum's mail, either. But wait, he never does." 

Bill shot him a look. 

"What? Can I help the fact that he treats us like shit?" 

Charlie leaned his head in his hand, looking very tired. "Ron, even though he's been a pain in the ass, he's still our brother. If something happened to him..." 

Ron looked ready to retort, but Bill shot him another look and he went quiet. 

"Look guys", Charlie said. "We're going to work this out, ok? We just wanted to tell you now, so that you didn't have to hear it from someone else in the morning. And-" he faltered. "Don't let anybody give you crap about Dad, ok?" 

Ron laughed, a hollow, dead sound. "Do we look like the kind of people who let anyone give us crap?" 

Bill rolled his eyes. "Right, how could I forget. Oh and Ginny..." he gave me a reprimanding look. "Mum told me about your little tricks. I know it's Snape and all, but I expected better of you, honestly." 

Ron glowered at the thought. "They gave her detention with _Malfoy_, for God's sake..." he muttered. 

Charlie's ear perked up. "Malfoy, you say? Son of Lucius?" 

"Yeah", I grumbled, staring down at my feet. 

Bill looked concerned. "He's not hurting you or anything, is he?"

Charlie rolled his eyes impatiently. "She's in _school_, Bill, can it." He turned to me. "Listen, how long are you in detention for?" 

"A few more days, if I'm lucky"

Charlie looked more awake. "Gin, we think Lucius may be behind the Dark Arts set-up. It's just a hunch, but... Just listen to Malfoy, ok? If his Dad did it, he's probably known for awhile. Anything suspicious that he says..." 

"I'll owl you and Bill." I said obediently.

"Good girl." I glared at him briefly, and he chuckled, sounding a tad more alive than he had when I first walked in, though the bags were still heavy under his eyes. 

Ron yawned, and looked at the clock. "It's almost four."

Bill stood up. "We'll let you guys go back to sleep. Try not to let this get in the way of your studies, ok?" He looked worried. 

I stood up as well, stretching. "Jeez Bill, you sound just like Perce..." I trailed off. 

"Hey, it's going to be alright, Gin." He hugged me tight, and smoothed down my bed head hair. "Now get some sleep, you'll need it. Charlie and I are staying here tonight, but we should be gone by noon." 

I leaned over and hugged Charlie, and then I waited by the door for Ron. He looked... lost, almost. I felt lost.

It wasn't until I got back in my bed that I remembered my dream. Sighing and rolling over, I tried to decipher the events of this strange night. It wasn't long, however, until my eyelids closed, and my mind dropped off into the heavy world of sleep. 

***

_All they gave me was this ticket to heaven_

_But__ that ticket to heaven said to lie in the bed that you make_

_Now I'm restless and I'm running from everything_

_I'm__ running from everything_

_I'm__ afraid it's a little too late___

A/N -  Wow, first an angst ridden Tom Riddle dream, then this? I honestly feel bad for Ginny. (And you would too... if you knew the kind of things I've cooked up in my sick and twisted mind...) ;)

Anyway, thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! I'm working really hard to keep away from the traditional D/G clichés, and I'm glad that it's appreciated. Remember to review and tell me what you think of this!

Song is "Ticket to Heaven" – 3 Doors Down. Yeah, I know, again. What can I say? They fit perfectly, I think. (Title is from the second line of the song, for the less observant among you.) ;)

xoxo,

Pickle


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